I am in a season of wintering — retreating, slowing down, and vowing to not feel guilty taking those much-needed naps. What is wintering? Come to the farm and explore with me how rest is the recovery we need and which leads to discovery of who we are and the things that give us joy.
Also, I share my new 18th-century rope bed!!! It is perfect in this pre-Revolutionary War home.
On a personal note, it was such a joy making this video. I found so much peace and it actually helped me to embrace slowing down as a way of life. I pray it helps you create a life that makes room for more of God’s grace. As always, thank you for being part of Old Stone Well Farm! You are a blessing. And please share with others!!!
Christmas is almost here and the first snowstorm in Vermont is the perfect excuse to get out a holiday classic to read. “A Christmas Carol” is such a great reminder that there is always a chance for us to do better when it comes to loving one another. It’s a story of hope and redemption. But what is this love that comes to us at Christmas?
Come and snuggle up with a cup of coco and a cozy blanket and join me on this wintery day at Old Stone Well Farm as we enter the last week of Advent and prepare for the coming of the Christ light.
And share this moment of peace and hope with your friends and family. Subscribe to never miss a visit to my 18th-century Vermont home where I write, dream, pray and think about all the God possibilities for me and for you.
But before you click the video below, I’m curious. What is your favorite holiday book or movie? And, how will you be inspired to “keep Christmas well” as it was said of Scrooge at the end of Charles Dickens’ classic. Drop me a note here or comment on YouTube!
My friends, a short visit together at the farm table as today we are picking up our new puppy!! Yes, little … (name to be revealed in my Dec. 6 St. Nick Day video) is coming to Old Stone Well Farm where he will meet his brother, RuRu (the cranky cat) and his five sisters, the chickens — Priscilla, Omelet, Nugget, Pot Pie, Biscuit (as in chicken and biscuits).
While we will spend a short time together, I didn’t want to miss lighting the second candle of Advent with you — the peace candle. Peace seems so fleeting these days, but I have found it can be possible.
So pull up a chair and I will share with you an Advent challenge to bring more peace into your live and into the world. Well, I need to get going. It’s an hour plus drive to pick up the puppy and I have some farm chores to get to first. Enjoy.
And please, tell your friends about Old Stone Well Farm and encourage them to subscribe on YouTube. Old Stone Well Farm is a growing channel and I have a big God-dream of getting to 1,000 subscribers — I was going to say by the end of the year which is quickly approaching — but why not? All things are possible and often our dreams are so small compared to the great things God can do!
And, I would love to hear from you and your thoughts on peace (and raising a puppy!).
It’s so great to be back home at Old Stone Well Farm, just in time to enjoy autumn’s arrival. And what better way to cozy up to a new season than with a delicious recipe I discovered — one that I make using unusual ingredient.
Come. Pull up a chair. Get cozy. Join me as I see God’s provision right in my little shabby garden. Click on the video below.
And never miss a visit at Old Stone Well Farm, subscribe to this growing YouTube channel, and share with your friends. There’s always room in my old kitchen for more!
P.S.
And here’s the recipe I mention in the video. Let me know if you make it and what you think of it!
Long Winter Green Pumpkin Pie
(As featured in the Little House Cookbook)
Filling
Four pound unripe green pumpkin
1 cup brown sugar
1 pinch each of ground nutmeg, cloves and cinnamon
1/3 cup apple cider vinegar (or you can substitute hard cider or apple cider)
1 teaspoon butter
Pie Crust (You can make your own or cheat like I do…using premade pie crust. I have yet to master the art of a flaky crust.)
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cup vegetable shorting
1 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons cold water
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Peel the green pumpkin, cut it in half and the quarters.
Cut pumpkin quarters into pieces that resemble apple slices to measure 5 cups and place in a large bowl. Add to that, the sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, apple cider vinegar and butter. Stir.
Pour pumpkin mixture into a prepared pie crust, add the top crust, crimp edges and brush with egg wash. I have also seen recipes where cook the pumpkin mixture on the stove for about ten minutes. That might ensure the pumpkin slices will be tender.
Bake at 45-50 minutes or until the pie crust is golden brown.
You can order the Little House cookbook here on Amazon,
Grossvater’s Wisdom: Swiss National Day at the Farm
I cannot believe how fast the summer is flying by. As we head into August, the month starts with the celebration of Swiss National Day here in Vermont.
My father’s family is from the picturesque village of Appenzell, and so my Swiss roots are deep and dear in my heart.
This year, though, I think of the lessons I have learned from my grandparents, most of all my grandfather, who is called “grossvater.”
So join me today as I share lessons and wisdom — and information on a Swiss chicken I would love to get!! Click the video below to start our time together.
My favorite season is here. No, not spring, but maple sugar season!
The sap is flowing from the trees and the sweet air from the sap being boiled into syrup is wafting on parts of the trail I run on daily. Maple syrup season makes mud season almost bearable — almost.
So, as we begin our third week in Lent, I invite you to the farm where I think about God, maple syrup, sugar shacks and this thing called “community.”
And a shout out to Rathbun’s Maple House, rathbunsmaple.com, for always serving such a wonderful breakfast! It’s a blessing to live near such an iconic place.
Take a midweek break here at Old Stone Well Farm Vermont as we awaken our senses to God’s beauty all around us. I spent some time practicing centering prayer the other day and discovered things I would have missed if I was not fully present to the divine. Like an interesting critter in a tree and a beautiful tiny feather on my path. Can you spare a minute or two to center your prayers on God and God alone? Imagine what you will see.
The second week in Lent begins at Old Stone Well Farm and I find comfort on a cold, snowy day wrapped in a prayer shawl and thinking about chicks, mother hens and how comforting it is to think of God as a protective hen that I can run to when feeling down or lost. Who do you turn to when feeling down or lost? And I am curious, what’s your favorite image of God? Come, join me at the farm. Like, comment, share! Blessings!
I have often found my energy — and faith — lagging midweek. So if you are having one of those weeks, or simply need a quick retreat into the Vermont woods with me (and Robert Frost!), then allow yourself a few minutes to step away from the news, from deadlines, from stress and worries. Renew your souls. Take a coffee break and escape to a quieter place and reflect on where God is leading you in this the first week in Lent.
What do you need to let go of this Lent? How will you prepare your heart for all that God wants for you? Come to Sofie’s Hill in Vermont and join me as we remember that God is bigger than our little selves — and more forgiving, loving and kind. May we, who have been created in the image of God, reflect that to the world.
accidental country pastor 